


Splendid danse macabre

by Amerutan



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Doma the Dark Organization | Waking the Dragons Arc, Duel Monsters, Duel Monsters Anime, Introspection, M/M, Melancholy, Missing Scene, Romance, Sad, Seal of Orichalcos, Sentimental, Shounen-ai, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2021-02-18 07:04:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21890197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amerutan/pseuds/Amerutan
Summary: Raphael eagerly breathed in the refreshing air, while Amelda passed him, stopping beside his helicopter.The blond guy secretly smiled, remembering the passion for those vehicles that since his early age his partner struggled to contain; very often his obsession with the aircraft had led him to bicker with the mechanics and pilots who often found him in the way, snooping, during maintenance and missions.Now that Amelda had obtained the pilots license, and he had become chief mechanic and expert helicopter pilot in his turn, he could freely walk around on that terrace full of vehicles and inspect them, pilot them or even just observe them for as long as he wanted, without risking reproaches, kicks or beatings from those who in the past took care of them.After all, he was a bit envious for Amelda: one of his dreams had come true(…).This short fanfiction of three chapters takes place before the begin of s4, and starts from the arrival of Raphael, Amelda and Valon at the Doma headquarters, covering their past within the organization, their partnership, up to the official beginning of the spinoff series.
Relationships: Amelda | Alister/Rafael
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> -The characters in this story do not belong to me. This story was written without any profit.  
> -I really hope you’ll give it a chance. If you have any advice or opinion to share with me, feel free to do it! I’ll be happy to receive it!  
> -About _Spleenshiping_ : Several persons over the past few months have asked me why I refer to the Raphael & Amelda couple with this name, so if you are one of those interested, here I'll try to give you a very quick and short summary of the reason why I chose _Spleenshipping_. (I apologize from the beginning if I will not be able to explain myself better, but I am under antibiotic treatment and I begin to forget even my name...)  
> Indeed, the _spleen_ is an organ. However, there is more:  
> -In French, _spleen_ is a term reintroduced by the Romantic literature and popularized by the poet Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867), to indicate a state of pensive sadness or melancholy, with no apparent cause, and characterized by a disgust with everything;  
> -In modern English, this terms means anger and is often related to persons in a foul mood.  
>  _Spleen_ is an intense malaise, a strong existential discomfort, the inability to adapt to the real world, a state of dark and depression from which it is almost impossible to escape and which could reach desperation and lead to death instincts.  
> By chance, I got passionate about Doma Arc the same period I was studying decadent French literature at school, and I immediately found a link between the different interpretations of _spleen_ and the personalities that Raphael and Amelda developed over the course of their existence. So, after doing my researches and discovering that there was no name for this pairing (this couple didn't exist at all, to be precise…), I decided that I would refer to them using this word: the French meaning reminds me of Raphael, who has a very melancholy personality and has not managed to adapt to the society that surrounds him and from which he does not feel represented, and the English one, which I reconnect to Amelda, a character moved by pure anger and willing to lose his life to get his revenge.  
> I would have much more to say, but this was, in broad terms and summarily, the explanation of the name.  
>  _Enjoy the reading!_

_"Hey, isn't that the guy of the shipwreck the newspapers wrote about some months ago?"  
"Looks like him, isn’t it?”_  
_“He said he had survived for years on a desert island, like a savage."  
"Fun. He really looks like an ape, actually."  
"We’ll eventually express ourselves with gestures, in his presence."_

The members of the organization looked at their new colleague up and down, throwing him mocking and contemptuous gazes, but Raphael, barely sixteen years old, despite the typical rashness that often manifested in the youth of his age, was not the type to respond to provocations, nor could he say that he was interested in attacking those persons to show them who he really was.

Following a terrible misfortune and adverse circumstances that profoundly marked his childhood, the solitary years spent on that desert island had made him a teenager of a calm and silent nature, balanced and sensitive, full of resources, capable of going to beyond appearances and facing adversity with cold blood.

His appearance, on the other hand, gave a different impression: tall and burly, square-jawed face, a broad forehead with a furrowed brow, and irises of a vivid ice blue that made his interlocutors feel uneasy, and attributed to him a scurvy, scruffy and threatening air; those peculiarities, combined with his scarce loquacity, certainly did not entice people to approach him, and brought strangers to consider him a problematic boy, from whom it was preferable to stay away.

However, Raphael could only consider the solitude his appearance gave him an advantage, especially after the bad experiences he had suffered when rescue teams took him back to the _civilised_ world.

He had indeed been greeted with clamor, immortalized in magazines and newspapers, and his story went round the world. Media had come like vultures from all over, hungry for news and constantly searching for that extra detail to snatch from Raphael’s extraordinary experience; to sell more copies and increase their audience, they manipulated and turned his simple life in contact with nature and adversity the plot of an unlikely adventure film.

Only when every single detail of his existence was gutted and fed to the public, and there was nothing left to tell, the teenager had returned, dismayed, to a solitary life; this time under the indifferent eyes of the society that surrounded and ignored him. Like a ghost.

Adrenaline and enthusiasm, derived from the warmth and affection he had received when he returned, had been exhausted when tv companies and audience had lost interest in his story; from that moment, being among people with the awareness of always having to keep up guard against strangers, hypocrites and their scams was what most disappointed and convinced him that there was something profoundly wrong with what everyone called 'civilized society'.

It was with relief when, in meeting lord Dartz, he realized he was not the only one to think so.  
Those few months in close contact with the cold and ruthless modernity had been enough to make him regret the uncontaminated world that he had left behind, but at Doma he found that peace that he had lost since the day of his return.

During the first occasions of confrontation with the other members of the organization, Raphael had known how to quickly become a fearsome duelist; soon everyone realized that no one in a few weeks would be at his level.

Along the way, under the guidance of his mentor, his tormented mind had become the abode of something terrible, a reaper who had soon become the nightmare of his challengers.

Feared both on the battlefield and outside, Raphael was chosen among the many because he had a power that transcended trivial talent and duel strategy, and that had to be kept under strict control.

From that moment, the opponents fell dramatically, frightened by that latent, fatal creature to whom the seal of Orichalcos gave life, and who dwelt in the darkness of his soul, awaiting, inexorably, the time to reap his victims.

Raphael blindly obeyed the orders of his mentor: lord Dartz From the latter he followed advice and listened carefully to his projects, and for him he was the only example from which to draw lessons in the years that saw his ascent to the top of the organization.

But soon, with the return of winter, a new member joined the project, and Raphael realized that from that moment on, he would not be the only one for whom lord Dartz matured and weaved his own plans.  
On a rainy dawn, lit only by lightning, the ruler of Atlantis led a new disciple to the organization: Amelda, just a boy of twelve years old.

In finding himself more and more often sharing the attentions of his mentor with that new guy, Raphael could not help but see resemblances in the slender figure of the boy to that of his late brother’s. There were few years that separated Amelda from Julian, and only one year difference with Sonia, although there was no trace in Amelda's sad, iron-colored eyes of the light-heartedness, vivacity and sweetness of those of Raphael’s loved ones.

The blond could never see anything but apathy and melancholy, which were often replaced by a sudden glimmer of revenge and fierce rage against those who seemed to have snatched something very important from him. It was as if Amelda was wandering in the constant search for a ghost of his own past that he seemed to hope to still see around him, in vain.

"He has great apprehension inside him, and his inexperience and frailty still lead him to commit many mistakes." Lord Dartz revealed to the teenager, one day. "However, Amelda has lost everything like you, Raphael, and like you he has an incredible potential that shall be useful to our cause. If he will learn to master that anguish, that anger, that pain he carries within, if he will put them at our disposal, I shall grant him what he most desires. I cannot give you back your loved ones." the ruler of Atlantis specified, turning to the boy "I can, however, help you all to create a better place to live, in which to rebuild your lives; to do so, I intend to take full advantage of your help and support for my plans."

It was as Raphael had foreseen: Amelda and him were paired up.

The early weeks, however, were anything but simple for that duo at poles apart.  
Although the newcomer showed vague improvements during training, he sometimes proved to be annoying and stubborn, bothered by the constant presence of Raphael, who was always ready to correct him, to take him up too much on his mistakes and to take away that bit of satisfaction that with difficulty Amelda obtained after intense days of exercises against the other duelists of the organization.

Yet Raphael had taken charge of the boy's education, instructing him on what had been taught to him previously; he did not like the idea of a future mission flanked by a partner so fickle, however ‘talented’ -as he was defined by lord Dartz- and the more the boy became annoying and intolerant towards him, the more the blond proved uncompromising in his regard.

Raphael's responsibilities grew week after week, month after month, until he decided to take the field himself to demonstrate to Amelda how much his stubbornness and his indifference risked making him lose sight of his goals, whatever they were.

"Why?!" the boy shouted, after the umpteenth defeat, rising from the ground and throwing to Raphael a grim glare "Why do you always manage to- !?"  
Raphael approached the cards that the latter had hurled to the ground with anger and, after having collected them, handed them to him.

Amelda had to learn to duel and give his best to come to understand how to exploit and master the strength of the Seal, and not to bicker and be satisfied with the victories obtained in bland challenges against brawling comrades far from the potential he could develop.

"If you believe that the key to winning a duel is just aggressiveness, then you are wrong from the beginning. It’s a system that you can hope to put in place against weak and inexperienced duelists, but there are champions, out there, who focus on complex strategies. One turn would be enough to bring you to your knees.” The blond explained to him "It’ll not help you to continue hurling yourself like a savage against your opponent, if you don’t know how to give him the coup de grace."  
"So how?! How can I hope to get my revenge?" Amelda exclaimed, clenching his fists.  
Raphael frowned.  
A boy of just twelve years old who declared revenge against someone…

Someone who seemed to have taken not only material things from him, but who had forced him to face a harsh and ruthless reality on his own, without being able to count on the support of nobody but himself.

It was painful to admit it, but Raphael saw a little of himself in Amelda, in those moments.  
And yet, hearing those words so cold coming out of the mouth of a child like him left the blond dumbfounded for a moment. He couldn't help thinking that there was something unnatural; just as if that statement had come out of the mouths of Sonia or Julian.

Raphael immediately roused himself from that thought, chasing away the ghosts of his loved ones from his mind, and forced himself to never again approach the carefree and lively image of his younger brothers to the gloomy and restless figure of Amelda.  
"Your deck is merely a draft, and the biggest problem is that you only think of victory and revenge, but not the strategy to get them. You are not focused on what you do and you lose control at the slightest difficulty. For today we end here."  
"What? We have just begun!"

"And we won't resume until you're really willing to listen to me and show more respect for your cards."  
"Who do you think you are!" Amelda retorted, malevolent, pointing to some of the opponent’s cards still resting on the duel disk "Just you, with those worn-out cards of yours, come and tell me how to treat mine-!"

The rest of the sentence died in his throat, when he realized that Raphael’s brow and light eyebrows had frowned, giving his face an even more intimidating air.  
Amelda shuddered and stepped back, but Raphael didn't move, except to turn around and leave the arena under the astonished gaze of the little one.  
Until Amelda had not learned to respect and control himself, to take full advantage of the Seal of Orichalcos, it would have been useless to hold a grudge against someone, against that shadow in his past that had led him to Doma.

\--o--

Two years passed between increasingly grueling training sessions that put Raphael, Amelda and every element of the organization to the test.  
One day, after returning to the base after the training, Raphael received the news of his companion's departure.

"His training shall continue elsewhere. He proved very interested in my proposal to obtain a pilot license, and decided to accept the transfer to a specialized branch with which our organization has connections." Lord Dartz explained, sitting at his office desk, raising just the look on the boy in front of him "If he gets his license, besides knowing how to prove himself up to expectations, in the future he could be a very useful element, just as you are, Raphael. Is there anything else you'd like to know?" He asked, then returned to lay the pen on some paperwork.  
Absorbed, realizing that the ruler of Atlantis would not be revealed anything more, Raphael shook his head and took his leave.

_"Did any of you see Amelda?"  
"No, not today."  
Some of the motorcyclists near him exchanged disinterested glances.  
"Perhaps his soul was taken. A kid so unmotivated like him could hardly hope to- "  
Raphael glared at the guy and, striding away, walked towards the elevators before the boy had time to finish the sentence.  
"What’s his problem? He’s the first among us all not wanting to have that brat around!”  
"Better to stay away from him."  
It was obvious that Raphael worried about Amelda._

_Lord Dartz himself had placed him under his tutelage, and during that last year they had not been considered by the mentor like the other followers of the organization; they were no longer just minions.  
They were superior, with goals and a will of their own which their master had always granted them, and which had not been removed or altered; they were aware of the true identity and provenance of their mentor - of his history and his many projects - although their partnership within the organization had not yet been formalized._

_In those last months, Raphael had become so used to the presence of Amelda, to bickering with him, advising him and having him around between workouts and training, that not seeing his frowning face around was making him relive the apprehension of a being a big brother, which until that day he had tried to repress._

“Perhaps his soul was taken.”

_He looked for him everywhere, all afternoon, and at every fail the fear that those words would become reality gripped his stomach in an oppressive vice. He never thought he could worry so much about someone after the loss of his family.  
The sun was setting over the city, and the sea breeze coming from the port was blowing through the helicopters on their landing pads on the vast terrace.  
Raphael continued to search in apprehensive silence.  
It was only when the wind settled down that heard a faint moan, muffled as if it were coming from inside somewhere. _

_Hopeful, he tried to follow the sound, and opening the sliding door of the nearest helicopter, he finally found him.  
"Amelda?"  
The boy, sitting against the opposite door, raised his face towards him, frightened, and more tears filled his eyes running down his flushed and swollen cheeks. _

_He still had been involved in another fight.  
"Who did this to you?" Raphael asked, ready to take serious action. "Amelda, who was it?”  
But Amelda did not answer, he would never answer, nor would he let himself be dragged into the infirmary, well knowing he had to face the gazes of those who they would meet along the way.  
"It's none of your business! Leave me alone! "_

_Raphael snorted and leaned inside the aircraft, towards a small compartment, and pulled out a first aid kit which he then slid over to the boy.  
"I was expecting you at training.” He said, getting in and closing the sliding door behind his shoulders.  
Amelda, with shame, hid his damp face in his hands, suffocating the sobs. "Training… What is it for? I'm tired, I can't go on- "  
"Don't talk nonsense. You don’t want to give up, do you?” The blond said.  
Amelda nodded, shrugging his shoulders, trying to oppose the strong shivers that shook him._

_"It’s of no use to continue! Whatever I do, my brother won't come back to me anyway! And this damn seal... It hurts! I hate it!" He sobbed, rubbing angrily his forehead, in a desperate and useless attempt to erase the signs of that pact stipulated a year earlier "I'm not like you! I'm weak! I’ll never be able to avenge my brother, my family and my friends! Never!"  
Raphael blocked the boy’s hand, moving it away from his scratched forehead and about to bleed._

_He could understand how agonizing that pain was, how hard it was not to be able to count on a family, to face the world without the support and closeness of loved ones, and not to be able to give himself the life of any normal boy of their age.  
The training and tests that they were forced to overcome every day put them in front of choices and facts that would have been complex to accomplish and assimilate even for someone with twice their years and their experience. The whole thing was made unbearable by the thought of losing one's soul forever, of not leaving a trace of oneself in that world that had been so cruel to them; and in spite of this they had to force themselves and move on. It was their mission. Their destiny._

_That was not a game, that was a real war, and Amelda, to be so young, was facing it with great courage; more than he thought in that moment of despair.  
"Weak? Neither I nor master Dartz are of this opinion," Raphael revealed to him, several minutes later, when the boy's desperate sobs began to cease, "Listen to me. The master has chosen you, and not by chance. He expects a lot from us because he knows that we are the only ones able to carry out the mission. Can't you see how different we are from others? Do you think most other members are targeting you for fun? "  
Slowly and silently, Amelda let his vacant gaze linger on him._

_"Everyone here wants to prove to master Dartz what they are worth. But they are nothing but a bunch of idiots, and they think that to be noticed it’s enough to commit oneself to bully others, whether it is outside or inside an arena. They want master Dartz to notice how weak others are and unworthy of his trust, to take advantage of them, and they do it by attacking you in every possible way. " Raphael remarked “Weak or not, you are not interested in discrediting others, you have a real goal and you are working on yourself to reach it. That’s exactly what brings master Dartz to give you trust every day. You’re not the only one here who’s lost someone important and suffered. Therefore, stop crying. In this place opportunities don't go to waste, you know it."  
"Why... are you worried about me now? You never wanted me as a partner- "  
"It's true, but… I believe that now is the time to prove ourselves that we can really be. So stand up and react. "_

Voices from the adjacent corridor interrupted his thoughts.  
The workouts that followed from the day of that conversation had changed Amelda a lot in his attitude and in their relationship, but Raphael would never be able to follow up with the boy in the training.  
Amelda had left that place without even informing him.  
A strong sense of consternation took hold of him for a moment.

Raphael really wanted to prove that he could be a point of reference for him, and in equal measure he hoped that for the partner could be the same, so much so that, as Amelda had done, Raphael too had finally managed to open up and tell him, day after day, a little piece at a time, of his past, of his family, of his life on that island and of the long journey he had to make to reintegrate himself with what was modern society.

From time to time they still engaged in discussions, but despite their differing points of view and thank to the awareness of knowing one’s limits from another’s, helped foster a mutual respect for each other by finding common ground. For both of them, this was one of the most important steps that they had ever taken in those years.

But Raphael had not taken into account the sudden changes that were on the agenda in the organization.  
On the other hand, that was the road they had embraced, and that was none other than one of the many choices before which they were called to make a decision: they should all have been sacrificed to the end to get what they wanted, and the only way was to follow lord Dartz and trust him.

Raphael roused, reproaching himself for that moment of weakness in which Amelda's absence had made itself felt with unexpected vehemence.  
Perhaps it was better this way; it was better that their paths were divided.  
One day, something or someone could have separated them, putting them against each other, who could tell? maybe a duel that would have decreed a winner and a won soul, as often happened in that place.  
Raphael was wrong to become attached, placing Amelda at the same level as his family members.  
Doma was not a family.  
Doma was an organization.

**CONTINUE.**


	2. Chapter 2

The years passed, the seasons followed one another, and the objectives of lord Dartz did not change: the company covering for the organization, the Paradius Corporation, extended its roots all over the globe, silently and inexorably.

Raphael, having now reached maturity, had his great work on behalf of his mentor, his responsibilities towards the project and, for some time, a new hassle.

"I’ll smash your face!”  
Raphael's hand fell promptly on the collar of Valon's jacket, and with a jerk he pulled him out of what it was about to turn into a fight with a group of other guys.  
"You’re not gonna smash anything at all." he admonished him, glacial, while the boy struggled wildly, trying to kick and punch his challengers "All of you! Get out of my sight if you don't want this to turn into your last day in here."

"All right, all right." One of the bullies snorted, backing up a few steps "But put a muzzle on this asshole. I think he has rabies and who knows what else. I wouldn’t be surprised, given the place from which he comes."  
Seeing Valon's knuckles still clenched in fists ready to strike, Raphael was forced to hold on until the elevator doors closed behind the group.

"You just really ask for trouble." He scolded him, letting him go and returning to the gym where a few minutes before he was training "What do you want? Any problems?"  
A cheeky smirk returned to the fifteen-year-old's face.  
"I just came to warn you that master Dartz called for us." Valon informed him, leaning against the doorway and crossing his arms over his chest "Don't look at me like that. If it were just because of me, he wouldn't have called for you too. "

"You are under my responsibility. I wouldn't be surprised if he did." Raphael grumbled, putting the weights and tools back in his place. "Did you do it again, Valon?"  
The boy started. "You know what? I’d never say that you’re such a bigot, Raphael." He smirked "And even if I had done it again? Report it, c’mon. I follow all his orders, so what could he find to say if I have some fun? You should allow yourself too. "

But Raphael was already moving away towards the showers, paying no attention to him.  
Valon was focused only on himself.  
It had always been since the days of the orphanage, as far as Raphael knew; a succession of events had soon led him to the street, towards an adolescence of bullying and neighborhood struggles, followed by a long year of reformatory that, apparently, had not shown the desired effects.  
That had been the teenager’s life until just before the turn.

He was a presumptuous, impulsive guy, too much aware of the importance he had in project and plans of lord Dartz, which led him to walk with his head held high, wrapped in an aura of "invincibility" that was almost disgusting; for this very reason many colleagues (especially the older ones) often had to complain about his way of being and behaving, and they never missed an opportunity to tease him.

Sometimes Raphael felt bitter about the scornful words that were addressed to the adolescent - like those of just before - but just as many times it was just that superb and mocking way of being that Valon flaunted, to instigate others and to lead them to exasperation.  
The blond, having been a witness for more than a year now, always ended up feeling more bothered than tolerant for that arrogant boy who, from a couple of weeks, had even taken the bad habit of deserting missions and training from him considered "negligible", to get out with the organization's motorbikes and compromise everything in illegal races.

The idea that he arrived at similar acts of indiscipline only to prove to strangers that he was the ‘number one’ seemed to him a gesture worthy of blame, given the risks he ran and made him run.  
Raphael often wondered how lord Dartz could have taken such a superficial person with so little motivation to carry out such an important project.  
Of course, Valon had embarked on his duel course with excellent results but, despite this, Raphael had never been able to appreciate and approve him entirely because of that way of acting so insolent and full of himself.

Raphael had never felt empathy for him, nor had he felt a connection established with that colleague, as had happened in the past with Amelda.

If the time he had spent a few years before had taught him to know and understand him, his insecurities, his anxieties, the fears that often blocked him, he doubted that with Valon would have ever been the same. They were like day and night. There was no hope of meeting on common ground.  
_Why do you worry about me now?_ _You never wanted me as a partner._

His eyes narrowed as the roaring water rocked his thoughts.  
He would have cursed himself whenever Valon's recklessness brought him to regret an Amelda of which the blond surprisingly remembered everything: the desperation, uncontrolled and wild anger that he put in dueling against his challengers, in order to survive them, his silences when the weight of his past seemed to become more crushing than usual, the tears of despair that he had cried in front of him, and then the news of his unexpected departure...

 _I'm not like you! I'm weak! I’ll never be able to avenge my brother, my family and my friends! Never!_  
Beyond the duties imposed on him by lord Dartz and the organization, in his heart Raphael had always tried to see with little results in that child and in his young age the younger brothers who had been lost the night of that shipwreck; despite the misunderstandings, the discussions of which they had been studded with their relationship, those last years passed without having any news of Amelda had made him understand how much in reality he had always been fond of him.

Raphael should not have come to regard him as a family member, this had always been his concern. For this reason, perhaps, he now found himself building a further barrier between himself and Valon, considering him as another passing pawn on which he could not have relied much longer, just like Amelda.  
After the ex-partner's departure, Raphael returned to training hard, hoping that lord Dartz would understand his need to act alone, and that the latter could only fully rely on him. But it hadn't been like that...  
The boy opened his eyes again, shaking his head and brushing away the drops of water on his face and his light blond hair; after having dried and dressed, he came out of the locker room.  
_You never wanted me as a partner._

 _... I believe that now is the time to prove ourselves that we can really be. So stand up and react._  
He should never have said those words.  
Too late, Raphael realized that they could delude both of them, he first.  
Wherever Amelda was, he hoped he had done everything in his power to make himself strong and independent, just like him.

  
"Come forward, Raphael."  
When he entered the meeting room, Valon and their master were already there, waiting for him.  
"Take a free afternoon from training." their mentor said.

Valon's bushy eyebrows rose, drawing a surprised expression on his Mediterranean face.  
"I have to ask you to go to the airport and bring a colleague here." lord Dartz continued.  
"With all due respect, master," Valon intervened, coming forward with bravado "Don't we have drivers for these kind of tasks? Or have I and the ape here been demoted without having been informed?"

Raphael barely restrained himself from silencing the teenager, merely turning his head towards him and throwing him a warning glare.  
"No, Valon. Even if, now that you make me think about it... " the ruler of Atlantis replied calmly, letting himself lean into the back of the chair and lacing his slender fingers under his chin "Perhaps it would be the case that I activate myself to punish your indiscipline last night and the previous days, what do you think? "  
The sardonic smirk on Valon's face disappeared as quickly as it had appeared just before, while his blue eyes met, disoriented, those of his companion at his side.

"You-!"  
"I assure you Raphael didn't tell me anything at all. Even though he should have." lord Dartz interrupted him. "If I came to know it, it is only because of your shortcomings. You should rather blame yourself for your indiscipline. Or is there perhaps a plausible justification behind your behavior? In this case I’m willing to listen to you, but be careful: my patience has a limit, and I don't like being disappointed by the people I trust. "  
The person concerned was there to reply but, to Raphael's surprise, he gave up and lowered his gaze, keeping silent, overcome by the magnetic and inscrutable irises of the man who sat in front of them.  
"Who are we going to lead here?" Raphael asked.

The jeep arrived on time at the airport, and Valon stepped out, slamming the door behind him, it closed with a thud that echoed across the undercover parking lot.  
"You should start thinking before speaking and acting." Raphael admonished him, rising from the driver's seat. "Let this be a lesson to you."  
This time it was Valon's turn to glare at his companion, but Raphael was not too bothered; he appeared calm and unperturbed as usual, but inside him a strong apprehension was beginning to make him rather uneasy, and to isolate him from the anger and the barbs of his colleague who accompanied him.

In the waiting room, Valon did not stop for a moment to yawn and complain about how unnecessary the presence of a new colleague in the organization seemed to him, but only when his index rose lazily over Raphael's shoulders, the latter came out from his silence.  
"Hey, is that one?" The boy grumbled, frowning.  
Turning around and looking away from the windows that led out onto the slopes, the blond soon spotted the figure indicating making his way through the crowd and come towards them.  
Raphael would have recognized that red hair among a thousand, although the person who was approaching was very different from what he had imagined himself seeing.  
Of Amelda, Raphael still retained the memory of a frail child, frightened and restless, and thought that the most significant change he would encounter in the partner's appearance would be only in height, but that was not the case.

The figure of Amelda had changed drastically. He had grown tall, slender, and as soon as he stopped in front of them and the person concerned took off his dark glasses, his ash-gray eyes complemented his extraordinarily androgynous face, gave confirmation to Raphael that he was indeed his young partner, leaving him shocked for a moment.  
It was like him to breathe again after a long apnea; all the doubts, the fears, his worries about the fate of the companion seemed to return to the surface, dissipate and finally abandon him.

Amelda's lips moved slightly, as if searching for the right words, and then bending into a measured smile.  
"You look well, Raphael. Fortunately it wasn't hard to spot you in the crowd."  
"I barely recognize you, Amelda. You look well, too. Welcome back.” Raphael said, shaking the hand Amelda had stretched towards him, while Valon watched the scene nearly, bored, looking down on the newcomer.  
As predicted by Raphael, the teenager seemed already very hostile towards Amelda. When the latter turned his attention to him, giving him a questioning look, Valon turned his back to him and walked away towards the exits.

“I was expecting another ape like Raphael. All I have to do is beat this guy to show master Dartz who he's dealing with once and for all. "  
"He’s Valon-" the blond snorted, turning to the newcomer and assuming an almost resigned air "And... well, you'll get used to him."  
"What do you think, Raphael?" Amelda asked, regardless of Valon's opinion.  
"About what?"  
Amelda turned to him, his holdall still thrown over his shoulder.

"I know that the idea of working as a pair has never been attractive to you.” he said, giving his words a neutral tone.  
"However, you have chosen to return."  
"Well, I had the impression that master Dartz’s request tended to be more of an order disguised as an invitation." Amelda admitted, shrugging his shoulders "Although I was curious to find out if I’m now finally up to the role."

The blond smiled "How have you been in the other branch?"  
"I’d never have believed that that place had so much to offer, and..." Amelda said "Having left here for a while helped me a lot."  
"From here or from me?"  
Raphael immediately regretted letting those words leak out, spontaneously coming out of his lips.

Amelda fell silent, looking away from him. Clearly he did not expect a person like Raphael to bring that delicate issue to light so soon, without much preamble, just minutes after his arrival.  
"Raphael, listen, it's complicated." he murmured, looking for the right words "Four years ago your words and your continuous scolding made me realize that I should have learned to work on myself in a more independent way. For you I was only a burden, I remember it well. The only drastic solution that came to my mind was to get away and risk everything.” He told him,"I followed your advice there, and if I survived I owe it in part to what you taught me. Now I know that everything I'm fighting for is worth so much as allowing me to stay alive and be here today. Then I just had to wait for master Dartz. I knew that sooner or later he would call me back."  
Following that revelation, Raphael failed to mask his surprise.  
Years before he would never have attributed that maturity to the then fourteen-year-old, who had led him to make that decision.

He didn't really blame Amelda, on the contrary, he was proud of the fact that his partner had chosen to throw himself headlong into that challenge in order to be able to improve even more. He had taken great risks, he could not even come back...  
Raphael felt like he was repaid: Amelda would become his partner, and he really had no objection to rise about it. Not anymore.  
"Let's make things clear: now that I'm back, won't you think of starting to preach to me like when I was a kid, will you?"  
"I hope," said the older one, as they reached the parking lot "you won't give me a reason."

"I can handle myself, and then... I get the impression that you already have your big deal with _him_. " Amelda said, before entering the passenger seat, glancing back at Valon already seated in the back seat "It’d be better hurry before it starts to rain."  
"Raining?" Raphael said, puzzled, looking up at the clear evening sky.  
"The wind is changing." Amelda said "You'll see. Seems that I brought rain."  
"If so you could stay where you were." grumbled Valon, with a scornful air, leaning over the seat and making the two boys jump "I don't get the reason for your return. Wasn’t I enough? Be certain, dude, that it wasn’t necessary for you to take the trouble to return. The organization is full of excellent duelists, since I am there; just ‘cause now you know how to pilot a stupid plane, don't think of being better than all of us."

Amelda gazed at the teenager, annoyed, and, glancing furtively at Raphael who gave up to reply, he put his dark glasses back on his upturned nose, flaunting an unexpected air of superiority: "I see. This explains why the urgency of my recall. If this guy’s the best master Dartz has found to stand by you during my absence... "  
Valon rose. "What did you say?!"  
Raphael secretly grinned, and pressed on the accelerator so much so that Valon was thrown back again against the back of the seat, while the car left for the city center.  
In the distance, the rumblings of a storm announced itself; from behind the mountains there were already threatening iron-colored clouds.

\--o--

A violent explosion shook the foundations of the Paradius, making the windows vibrate up to the upper floors of the building and leaving all the occupants of that fortress shocked.

When the dust had settled, the arena appeared disfigured, while the rubble covered the floor in a thick layer.

Under the smug glances of lord Dartz, the two challengers stood motionless at the ends of the duel field, one standing, panting, the other kneeling on the ground.  
Above their heads, the imposing Ziggurat Fortress of Amelda dissolved in front of the incredulous eyes of those who found themselves being spectators of that bewildering duel.  
Raphael stood up quietly.  
His Guardian Eatos was no longer at his side, annihilated by the gunfire exploded by the monster of Amelda.

The training and the hard tests faced in the distant branch had given him a really frightening power, making him more self-confident, animated by a thirst for victory that darted in his cold eyes and that had become the terror of his opponents; Raphael himself, for a moment, had to admit to had felt an almost reverential fear in front of that immense and dark Fortress.  
"Are you alright?" The challenger's voice made its way through the last clouds of dust that were slowly dissipating.

"A very good strategy..." The blond complimented, dusting off his coat.  
Only when Amelda stood before him he realized that something was wrong.  
"Raphael," He retorted, resenting "why didn't you react to my attack?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"You could have, right?" Amelda insisted, frowning "You could have prevented Eatos from being destroyed."  
"Stop talking, you two. Now it's up to me to challenge you!” Valon interrupted them, crossing the arena and stopping in front of Amelda.  
Raphael snorted. "Valon, this is not the time."  
"What's the problem? Is the princess already tired?"

"You need to get a grip, Valon." Amelda hissed, making himself even more grim "It’s up to master Dartz to decide. If he’s chosen to make me fight against Raphael, then, it seems to me quite obvious that he doesn’t consider you prepared enough. I’m not the rookie here, after all." he replied.  
Valon gritted his teeth furiously. Only the steps of their mentor behind his shoulders prevented him from hurling himself at Amelda.

"I have to admit that what Amelda said comes close in part to reality, Valon." Lord Dartz intervened, leaving the teenager banned "Despite this, I’m always willing to review my points of view. Here’s the deal: you shall challenge Amelda and, if you win, you’ll get every benefit, just like your companions." he proposed, turning his attention to the opponent "Amelda?"  
"No problem. It could be the right time for this kid to learn to know his place."  
Raphael interposed between the two. "Master Dartz, if I'm allowed, I don't think it's a good idea. Valon’s still in training..."

"It's up to them to choose. Indeed Valon deserves a chance like everyone. If he says he feels ready, then he must be tested, Raphael. Unless someone wants to back down. "  
The blond fell silent, meeting Amelda's eyes who seemed to want to reassure him.  
"I certainly won't be."  
“Me neither!" Valon replied immediately.  
Raphael barely held back a resigned sigh.  
"I know what you’re thinking." Lord Dartz said, turning to him as they left the battlefield and the duel began. "We know that Amelda's preparation took place over six long years within the organization. Level after level, this has accustomed him to come into contact, to know and to exploit the Seal.” he said." While Valon only arrived a year ago, he seems to be very different from you and your partner. In a certain sense he is, but I urge you not to consider it a defect. Are you aware that Valon could already take full advantage of the strength of the Orichalcos stone? He has already done so in the past. "

"I wasn't aware of that," Raphael admit, surprised.  
"A project of mine amongst a group of inmates of an old European juvenile prison; and he was chosen by the Orichalcos. "  
"But then why deny him further advancement? If he too is so powerful ... "  
"Perhaps more powerful and talented than Amelda. But too unruly." Declared the ruler of Atlantis. “Valon's growth took place in a disadvantaged context, where the only one who set the rules was himself for himself, and if someone broke that sphere he acted, he no longer responded of his actions. If this, on the one hand, has granted him exploitable advantages from us, this volatility and this continuous rebellion could compromise everything. Before granting him the full strength of the Orichalcos, I want to ascertain his blind obedience and collaboration. Can you understand why I chose to support him? He still has much to learn here, despite his unquestionable gifts. I'm sure he’ll turn out to be a great duelist, just like you and Amelda. It is my opinion that your differences, very soon, will strengthen and unite you all, Raphael. "

Before the boy could respond, the duel ended under the roar of a second explosion, albeit more contained than the previous one.  
Lord Dartz got up, bringing his hands behind his back and giving a satisfied look to the two challengers, he left the arena, leaving Valon kneeling on the ground, prey to anger and frustration.  
"Notice I haven't even played Ziggurat and Orichalcos. And now listen to me: fewer words and more facts, from now on. Loser." Amelda said, withdrawing the duel disk under the furious looks of the challenger who, furious, got up, running out of the playing field.

"Hm, don’t you think that was a little harsh, Amelda?”  
"Stop worrying about that idiot," Amelda replied, shifting his gaze to him. "Well? I'm still waiting for an explanation from you."

The evening breeze blowing on the terrace was always a cure-all after hours and hours of training spent in the Paradius dungeons.

Raphael eagerly breathed in the refreshing air, while Amelda passed him, stopping beside his helicopter.  
The blond secretly smiled, remembering the passion for those vehicles that since his early age his partner struggled to contain; very often his obsession with the aircraft had led him to bicker with the mechanics and pilots who often found him in the way, snooping, during maintenance and missions.

Now that he had obtained the pilots license, and he had become chief mechanic and expert helicopter pilot in his turn, he could freely walk around on that terrace full of vehicles and inspect them, pilot them or even just observe them for as long as he wanted, without risking reproaches, kicks or beatings from those who in the past took care of them.  
After all, he was a bit envious for Amelda: one of his dreams had come true, and within himself Raphael couldn't help but smile at the thought that his partner had even come to give a nickname to his favorite helicopter, which lord Dartz had assigned to him at the moment of his return.

"Did you lose the word?" Amelda muttered "Answer me. Why did you let your life points go blank, today?” He asked, leaning against the sliding door of the helicopter "Listen, you taught me how to duel, Raphael. You’re the strongest duelist of the entire organization, and you were already so at the age of Valon, here. Don't try to make my victory pass for such an incredible fact. I'm not satisfied with how things went today. "  
"I don't see why you shouldn't. I assure you that your victory was more than deserv-"  
"I doubt it, though it was an interesting duel in several respects. But you could have put together a recovery strategy and you’d have been safe: if Eatos had been destroyed, Dreadscythe... "  
Raphael's eyes widened and, moving a few steps towards him, the boy held Amelda by the shoulders, making him jump.  
"Raphael, what-!"

"Who told you about Dreadscythe?"  
Still surprised by that unexpected reaction, Amelda frowned.

"Before I left, I heard you and master Dartz talking about it... He said it’s your most powerful weapon. What did you think, to keep everything hidden until the end? Why didn't you play it?! "he insisted, wriggling slightly in the other’s grip “Let me go! Did you think I wouldn't be up to it?"  
Raphael tightened his lips, loosening his grip on the shoulders of the partner and taking a step away from him.  
"I’m afraid so. Dreadscythe is different from all the other monsters."

"Don't talk nonsense! Precisely because I know it’s so different, so fearsome, I did everything to force you to put it on the field!" Amelda exclaimed "But this is not the only point. You say that I’ve changed, that I’ve grown and improved, that I now really deserve a place here, but apparently it doesn’t seem to be enough to consider me up to the point of becoming aware of this story. What’s your problem, Raphael? Are we partners only when it suits you?"

"No, Amelda, this is beyond the discourse of wanting to challenge our limits in duels. I myself, years ago, consented to what I was asked to do in order to enter the organization: I challenged myself, and allowed my darkness to emerge from a completely different dimension; that was when I created Dreadscythe."  
Amelda frowned. "What does it mean? How is such a thing possible?"  
Raphael closed his eyes for a few moments in a tormented silence.  
"It’s a fearsome creature, an immense vortex of darkness that through the seal of Orichalcos can be transported to this world during duels, but the true essence takes hold when anger, depression, discouragement, even moments of madness have the over; not everyone is able to generate similar creatures, but when it happens we must know how to stem what we have created. Dreadscythe can seriously put people's lives in danger. Being able to control it sometimes proves to be a far from easy undertaking. Its power can prove to be very useful, but to dominate it, I must work on my psychic strength. Very little is needed to upset the balance and lose control. Master Dartz, through the training and challenges I have faced in all these years, has taught me to understand when that limit was going to be overcome, and to stop in time. One day he’ll ask me to let myself be swallowed up by Dreadscythe, to overcome that limit, and for the project, for the organization and the new world that he wants to create, I’ll do it." He revealed, under the amazed eyes of Amelda “That’s… That's why I didn't mention it and let my life points run out. I couldn't let anything happen to you."  
Troubled, the boy in front of him contemplated his companion's cerulean eyes and saw in them the melancholy acceptance of a destiny that already seemed to have been written by others, but also great courage and awareness of what he would encounter.

The long silence that followed wore out Raphael, but just as the latter was about to resume the word, Amelda's voice interrupted him.  
"So is this Dreadscythe?"  
"Yes."  
"Is that why you don't-"  
"That's the reason. Yes." Raphael asserted.  
"Then, why didn't you tell me before?" Amelda asked, after a brief pause.  
"I should have, but now that we’ve started working as a team, I was afraid that this story could have somehow upset our relationship. I thought you’d feel uncomfortable, standing beside me.”

Amelda was visibly upset by those revelations; even in his gaze the tangible awareness of being equally expendable for the original project, for lord Dartz, had made its way.  
It was like being aware of having signed a contract whose terms were forgotten; however, one of the first things their mentor had taught them was not to fear darkness...  
"It's absurd... I’ve always thought you had something different than the others; but we’re partners. You said it yourself. I don't want them to be just words. I want it to become a fact. I want to be up to the point of really being considered your partner in the organization."  
Struck by those words, Raphael raised his icy irises on him; Amelda looked him straight in the eyes, his arms crossed over her chest, as if to reproach the boy for the fact that any complaint would not serve to discourage him.

Raphael didn't know what to say, nor did he know how to entrust to a definition that mixture of comforting sensations that were warming his heart and even his soul.  
"I thought you couldn’t stand me," he finally admitted, bending his lips in a measured smile, never too much emphasized, never too coarse. Never too much, just like its owner.  
"It's been a while since then. I told you, I was nothing more than a brat..." Amelda murmured, looking away. "At this point, there is no one else in the organization that I would like by my side as a partner, Raphael."  
The pout who had unconsciously painted on Amelda's face brought back to Raphael’s mind the memory of the child he had known for the first time years before.  
Perhaps not everything had changed in that red-haired boy.

For Amelda to admit something had always been a great undertaking; Raphael understood this from the way he changed his tone of voice, and this became abrupt at first, only to subside in a whisper; from the way in which he changed his gestures, from the way his thin lips curved, as if they repented of what they had just let slip...  
He was happy to find in the new Amelda something of the twelve-year-old boy he had known years before.  
"I'm glad you think so, Amelda." Raphael said "Thank you."

**CONTINUE.**


	3. Chapter 3

"I can’t believe it. Valon, of all your ideas this is absolutely the wors-"  
"Nobody asked your opinion, Raphael. Mind your business."  
"This is _also_ my business! This concerns all of us!" Raphael exclaimed, overtaking the boy and blocking his way, "Introducing Mai Kujaku to master Dartz! How could you to take her to the temple without first consulting us? She has nothing to do with us. She’s a friend of Yugi Muto and could create problems."

"A friend?" Valon repeated, putting his hands on his hips and puffing out his chest "Do you think I’m really so stupid as not to have ascertained it before I took her to the temple?" The young biker retorted with anger. “I assure you that she turned his back on Yugi Muto and his friends long ago, and thanks to me!" and Valon overcoming the colleague and passing the doors wide open of the elevator.  
"You’ve always been stubborn, but lately I no longer recognize you. What's on your mind in the last few weeks? "

"What’s your point?"  
"I should ask you, Valon."  
"I’ve nothing more to say to you. Stay away from me. You’re not master Dartz, Raphael. You’re not the boss, here."  
The blond frowned. Before he could reply, the elevator doors closed behind his companion.  
Raphael sighed, distraught.  
Valon was a brawler and an egocentric, but in those last few weeks there was something about him that was starting to make him even less bearable. Because of his insane fixation for that woman he was putting them all at risk.

He felt it: they were really close to the time when they would have to go into action, perhaps less than a few weeks, the time that Amelda returned there after the conclusion of the Domino Battle City. If something had gone wrong because of Kujaku they would have thrown away years and years, no, centuries of work and sacrifices.  
He recalled the elevator, determined to reveal to the mentor his doubts about the inclusion of Mai Kujaku in the project when, from one of the door offices that lined the corridor, some intermittent flashes caught his attention.

He threw open the computer room door and saw all the PCs on. A man in a suit and tie, with a short and neat haircut of a grizzled black, turned to him, arms folded.  
"What are you doing in here?" Raphael asked him, watchful eyes focused on the stranger.  
The man bent his lips into a grin, lifting a disk.  
"My job, Raphael. As it was ordered to me. ” Was the reply, which left the blond surprised.  
"Amelda?"

If it had not been for the familiar voice that his partner had not worried to conceal, Raphael would have certainly mistaken the partner for a member of Kaiba Corp.'s security.  
"You didn't joke when you said you’d take all the necessary precautions to avoid being recognized, Amelda."  
The boy raised a hand to the collar of his shirt and tore a thick resin mask from his face.  
"Take a look if you want. All the Battle City footage, data and access codes to the systems, including KC's holographic one, are in there. They could also be useful to you. " Amelda explained, still seeing the companion's gaze becoming absent "... So, from what I understand there were some news during my absence. Not that it's my business, but it was impossible not to hear you two arguing out there. "  
Raphael turned his attention to his partner, watching him combing his red hair still tangled because of the wig he had worn.  
"Is it the truth? Kujaku Mai, the Battle City finalist, here? And didn't master Dartz object? "  
"Hm. It’d seem so. "  
"Good. If something will go wrong they’ll certainly not blame you. "  
At those words, Raphael frowned and his expression became attentive.  
"Don't waste your time tormenting yourself on Valon's initiatives. You know what's going on." Amelda continued, without giving him time to reply “Valon is infatuated with that woman. Just hear him talk for a minute to realize it.”  
The blond stared at his companion, thoughtfully, and raised his pale eyebrows; he knew that Amelda was always ready to share his opinion on any topic, that concerned them or not, even when it was not necessarily required…

"Your thought about it?" he asked.  
"Even if I had one, would you really be interested in it?"  
Raphael waited, shrugging.  
"Well, if his crush for that woman will help us to get rid of him, I don't see why I should object to her presence here." the younger one stated "Don’t look at me like that. You too thought about it for a moment, don't deny it."  
Indeed Raphael could not deny it, but he was an extremely realistic person and he knew well that lord Dartz would never allow Valon to pair with Kujaku alone. It was a real suicide.

"Infatuated or not, you know what we risk in case something goes wrong” he reminded his partner.  
Amelda stared at him carefully.

"You’re very strange, Raphael," he said, leaving him dumbfounded for a moment, and bending his lips in a smirk between bitter and amused "You're the only one in here, talking like this... The risks that _we_ will run, the problems _we_ might have, _we_ here, _we_ there- "  
"Even master Dartz- "

"Take him off the pedestal for just a second." The partner interrupted him, making him jump "Don't get me wrong, but you're different. He talks about us as his project. You talk about us as... " he paused for a moment, looking up at the monitors, searching for the right words "As human beings."  
Raphael's eyes widened.  
"Never noticed?" Amelda asked him. "In addition to the fact that you want training and exercises to succeed at best, you really seem to care that we don't lose our souls.  
Don’t you?”  
Raphael was about to reply, but his voice died in his throat.  
How long had Amelda noticed that detail in him? Raphael had always been focused on interpreting the partner's way of being, never realizing that his partner was also doing the same to him...

"You say you trust master Dartz, but your words don’t seem to confirm it." He hesitated, bending his lips severely "Do you really think he treats all of us just like parts of his project?"  
"Well, I'm not blaming him for that. After all, if it wasn't for master Dartz, I wouldn't be here today. So what does it matter? Risks or not, I have nothing to lose. None of us has anything left to lose here. We are adults and we took responsibility for our choices. "  
Amelda's expression in addressing those words was bitter and melancholy again, despite the latter attempting to conceal it by assuming a disinterested tone.  
"You’re wrong, Amelda." Raphael's lips tightened almost immediately, as if regretting what they had just missed.

"Am I? Let’s hear, what do you have to lose?"  
How many things Raphael had never told him, and how many things he wanted to tell him at that very moment.  
With the slow passing of weeks he had to realize the incredible naturalness with which the feelings of affection for his partner had evolved and intensified; however, the only fact of accepting them and calling them by its name was an insurmountable difficulty for Raphael, since the innumerable duties towards the Doma had always come first, in the respect of the one who, years before had chosen and welcomed them, giving them a new purpose.

The sense of duty, the strong gratitude and the admiration that Raphael had towards their master was therefore the main obstacle that had always prevented him from giving voice to his feelings towards Amelda, in a moment as delicate as that.  
The awareness of being the most recent links of that ancient chain that for thousands of years had been handed down through the leadership of their master, on the one hand, was a weight more and more crushing every day, on the other it was a responsibility that had always made him proud of his role.  
Precisely for this reason, to carry it forward, he would need all the calm and lucidity he possessed.

That of the Doma was an imposing, millennial project, with solid foundations and roots, and would have been completed through their generation; on his shoulders, Raphael felt the weight of all those who had preceded him over the centuries; people he knew nothing about, but with whom he shared with the two companions the same efforts, sacrifices and hopes of one day having an uncorrupted and prosperous world.  
He didn't want to lose his goals even for a second.

Risking that all this would take second place was not contemplated, although with the passing of days and weeks, the choice that was being imposed was turning into a perpetual swing of remorse; he didn't want Amelda to be overwhelmed as it risked happening to him. His partner was also tied to duties and responsibilities and Raphael did not want the latter to lose sight of them.  
Raphael had been good at hiding his feelings for his partner from everyone, and for so long, especially his companion. Sometimes it was really difficult to escape those cold eyes that asked for answers, explanations…

Answers that Raphael held desperately in his mouth, because neither of them should ever have been found themselves in that situation in a difficult moment like the one they were experiencing in the last year at Doma.  
It was Amelda that Raphael risked losing if something went wrong. Amelda, and the future that each of them could have rebuilt.  
For this reason, although the feeling of affection he felt towards his partner was strong, Raphael had to declare himself tied to his responsibilities, and considered those feelings an obstacle.  
Both had continued with their training, missions, and while on one hand the temporary departure of the partner for Domino had granted breath to the blond, on the other he kept wondering what Amelda's true feelings might be.

However, if ever that mission -which for years had asked them only sacrifices- had ended in favor of their mentor, Raphael would not have hesitated letting Amelda know the feelings he held for him. But not now. Not at that time.  
"Raphael?"  
The boy started and looked back at his colleague.  
"Hm, no, nothing so important. Rather, I wondered what your thoughts on Kaiba were. You witnessed his duels... "  
Despite that sudden change of subject, Amelda shrugged and went back to watching the monitors.  
"In these past years he has become an extraordinary duelist. The battles faced against the pharaoh made him stronger. It has completely changed compared to a few years ago. I made a mistake in underestimating him. I still need to train. "

"Whatever happens, keep your cool. You’ll need all the lucidity and concentration possible to beat him, and with Orichalcos in the deck you’ll start at an advantage. "  
Seto Kaiba was no ordinary opponent, they both were aware of it. Amelda was not wrong. Something had changed since the day that young president of KC had first confronted the pharaoh: he had grown a lot, not only as a strategic duelist, but also as a person.  
Raphael feared that Amelda might start doubting his own abilities again because of this; he was probably afraid of omitting something that could later be fatal to him.  
"Amelda."

"I must go." Said the latter, turning and walking away towards the exit "I have things to fix and I still have to report to master Dartz-"  
"Amelda." Raphael insisted, turning towards him, while the person concerned stopped on the threshold, in waiting "Stay focused."  
The boy remained motionless, resting a hand on the door jamb. He seemed to be looking for words, but these struggled to line up and get out of his mouth.

"It's easy for you to ask me such a thing. There is no one you can blame yourself for taking your loved ones away ..." he whispered. "Do you know what was the most painful thing to face these past weeks? Can you imagine?" he asked him, coldly and angrily "The sight of that kid ... Mokuba Kaiba."  
The blond listened to him in silence, while in the tone of his companion's voice a deep indignation made its way, and he turned abruptly towards him, his face distorted in a grimace of suffer and anger.  
"Do you think that’s fair?" He exclaimed. "Do you think it's right that people who have stained themselves with despicable acts like the Kaibas have everything and us, instead, nothing? I spend every single day of my life asking myself what we did wrong to deserve all this. He can still fight to protect his brother, while I live and consume myself in waiting to take my revenge... and all that remains of my brother is a broken toy! All because of his family!"  
Those words struck Raphael painfully in the chest.  
That journey undertaken under cover at KC had contributed to increasing Amelda’s already ardent desire for revenge.  
W _hat did we do wrong to deserve all this?_  
The pain and the thoughts of revenge that Amelda was plagued by was manifesting itself through his eyes.  
By now he lived only for that, and Raphael could do nothing ... Nothing could save him from the cancer that was consuming him.

"Nothing." He repeated, this time in a barely audible whisper "We did nothing to deserve this..." Were the only words that came from the blond's lips, as he watched his companion vanish over the threshold.  
Once again, Raphael hadn't been able to say anything to bring peace to his partner's heart. Again he had allowed the duties imposed on them to come first, that those thoughts of revenge with which Amelda had grown once again found fertile ground.  
He had chosen to keep his feelings hidden from him, but how would he do it if one of them, or both, hadn't emerged victorious from their battles?  
For a moment he had extended a hand towards his partner, as he moved away along the corridor, but instead of this he had seen nothing but Dreadscythe's skeletal limb, wrapped in worn and dusty bandages.  
"Forgive me."

\--o--

"Hey man, I think I've seen you before. Aren't you the guy who moved to the Paradius branch? I come right from there, you know? I arrived a few weeks before your departure."  
At those words, Amelda turned his attention away from his meal and glanced sideways at the three boys who stood around him.

"Listen, _man_. Who do you think you're talking to?" he replied calmly.  
The stranger burst out laughing.

"I just wanted to have a chat! Don’t look at me like this. We are companions. Let's try to get along. Isn't that baboon here with you, today?" He whispered to him “Remember, in the other branch, how many stories were told about him?" He said, addressing the two boys who accompanied him "He seemed an interesting and formidable duelist, I’d have liked to challenge him, but since I’ve been here he hasn’t made a great impression on me. Being his partner and always having to deal with him must be boring. Let me tell you the truth: it’s sad to know that you’re gonna be wasted alongside someone like him, when you could have better partners. If only I were given the opportunity to prove it... Why don't you introduce me to master Dartz, uh? I’d surely find a way to repay the favor, of course."  
Amelda's gaze darkened.

Not one, but two punches hit the man’s face simultaneously, who slid down to the floor under the dull glances of the other comrades.  
"Are you kidding? Introducing scum like you to master Dartz? Try not to embarrass yourselves." Valon sneered, drawing back his hand, while Amelda did the same "Nothing personal, losers, but this is the VIP table, not nobody’s. Didn't my partner tell you?"  
"You better watch what you say, Valon." one of the three men threatened him, coming forward with clenched fists, while the second was trying to revive his companion still lying on the ground "You can also be the favorites of master Dartz, but you’d better climb down since the dirty jobs always touch to us."  
"Ooh? Did you hear? "Asked Valon, turning to Amelda, and pretending to be impressed "These nobodies would like to be thanked for their hard work!"  
The grin of the motorcyclist was accentuated when an imposing shadow appeared behind the brawlers, leaving them even more numb.  
Recovering from the punches he had received just before, the injured man raised his face, discovering Raphael towering over him with a look of calm and firm disapproval, which made him go pale.  
"You're the newcomers, right? If I'm not wrong, at this time, your group should be close to I2 for inspections. ”The blond pointed out to them.  
The stranger stood up furiously, ready to hurl himself at Raphael to avenge the humiliation he had suffered, but was seized and dragged away by the other two companions, outside the canteen.  
"W-we were just going, Raphael!" Said the first one.

"Yeah, we’re going immediately!" added the other, between his teeth, tugging at his companion "And what did you think you were doing, you idiot? Punching that mountain? Do you wanna make a bad end? That gorilla takes orders directly from master Dartz!"  
Once the three had left, Amelda returned to his seat at the table.  
"You killjoys... " He murmured, turning to the two partners "I could have handled them by myself."  
Raphael, seated next to him, went on silently in his meal, while Valon, stiffly, bent his lips into a mischievous little smirk, clutching his fork and knife in his hands.  
A silver ring set with the Orichalcos stone stood out on his middle left for some time now.

"Killjoys? Ah! What is that tone, and why am I not hearing words of thank for my perfectly, timely intervention, _Amelia_? Look, comrade, that it's not allowed to organize speed-dates in the canteen, do you know? Then losers show up like those ones and it's up to us to free you from the mess." He smirked, turning a wink at him that left the boy even more frowning.

“Stop with that ‘ _Amelia’,_ Valon _.”_ Amelda whispered “For your sake.”

Valon grumbled a barely audible “As you wish, miss _Harehart_.”, and immediately filled his own mouth with fries.

"Have you been to the meeting? Any news?" Amelda changed the subject, addressing the neighbor.  
"There's a change of plans." Raphael informed him "We’re going on a mission. Master Dartz wants us to keep an eye on a certain Arthur Hopkins. "  
Valon raised his fork to his mouth, swallowing his bite. "Great! Yard time, finally. "  
"Strange that he entrust us with a similar task. Hopkins, you said?” Amelda asked him, “ The head of the ancient history faculty at the University of Miami?”  
The two looked up from their plates and stared at him.

"How can you be sure that he’s the one we are looking for? Those with that name abound. "  
"I was sent on behalf of the branch to attend one of his conferences on ancient civilizations, just a couple of months before he left for an expedition in search of evidence of the existence of Atlantis. Obviously it was a top secret project, or people would have taken him for a fool if only he had publicly announced it. There is no doubt: it’s the same person. "  
"Confehences, uh?" mumbled, chewing, Valon "Whah a bohe..."  
"If he’s now returned from the expedition and master Dartz has asked us to take care of it, it’s likely that the professor brought with him evidence that should not have come to light. We have to keep an eye on him."  
"The professor has residence outside the city, not far from Death Valley, and at this time he should be there for the summer break, if I am not wrong. It’ll be better to check. "  
"We'll do a helicopter survey, then."

Valon snorted loudly, to get their attention.  
"Any problems?" Raphael asked.  
"Of course! Why don't we go on motorcycles? Do we really have to go there on that _thing_? It's boring, deafening and those propellers could cut off someone's head, someday. "  
Amelda exchanged a raised eyebrow with his neighbor, then rose from the table and leaned toward the boy sitting in front of him, with an indecipherable air.  
"If it happened in your case, at least, our ears would finally cease, Valon."  
The latter swallowed noisily because of the bite that was struggling to get down his throat; only when he saw Amelda come out of the canteen, the motorcyclist swallowed and spoke again, turning to Raphael.  
"Doesn't he make you shiver sometimes? He could be that kind of person who could kill you with an ax while you sleep." And he mimed the gesture of an executioner who cuts through the air with his axe.  
"Try to take things seriously, for once, Valon."  
"Hey, I take things seriously!" The latter protested, while Raphael got up from the table "In fact I'm seriously worried about my life when I'm with you two."

\--o--

_"Sonia, Julian! Stay here! Don't move! Raphael No-! "_  
But the blue-eyed child had already chased the brothers on the deck of the cruise ship, leaving his parents behind in the restaurant.  
Those warnings had been the last words his mother and father had addressed to their children before the shipwreck.  
Stopping on the bridge in search of Sonia and Julian, between the agitated whirlwind of evening gowns and tailcoats of the passengers, Raphael saw out of the corner of the eye the lace of Sonia's new dress, vanished into the crowd, and then he understood where the looks of that same frightened crowd converged. From the East, an immense, anomalous wave was about to reach the ship and fall against it with unprecedented violence.

Raphael sensed the tears clouding his vision, and immediately called loudly first his sister and then Julian, over and over again, making his way through the people.  
The ship's wild pitching and the sudden tilt of the latter was followed by the bodies of the passengers who, screaming, began to slide along the bridge, like puppets that had stopped obeying the force of gravity.  
" _Big brother_!"  
The two little brothers slid towards him.  
Concentrating all his strength in his legs, Raphael leaped forward, pushing himself in turn towards them, feeling the floor of the bridge missing under his feet.  
The wave came, relentless, along with a deafening lapping that numbed his eardrums.  
" _SONIA! JULIAN_! "  
The child's hands stretched toward his sister, who turned with her younger brother towards him, trying desperately to grab them.  
But Raphael's eyes widened with dismay when, under the flowing hair of Sonia, he saw nothing but a skull with expressionless sockets.  
Four small skeletal hands grabbed his arms, immobilizing him.  
Raphael let out a cry of pure horror.  
He stepped back, wriggling and freeing himself from the grip of the brothers, frightened by that nightmare that seemed to have found an entrance to fall into reality.

He felt his head throbbing, bursting, while the echo of the voices of his parents and brothers followed one another and multiplied out of proportion in a cacophonous echo around him. Suddenly he realized that he was no longer on the deck of the ship at the mercy of the storm; looking around in the darkness that embraced him, he saw behind him the bodies of Valon and Amelda lying on the ground, and the second rising weakly, staring at him with a mixture of horror and wonder.  
" _Raphael ... is this Dreadscythe?_ "  
Confused by that question, Raphael held out his hands to Amelda and approached him.  
Only when he saw the boy retreat he understood what the partner was referring to; he discovered his skeletal limbs wrapped in thick yellowed and mottled bandages.  
" _No_!" He shouted.  
His breathing grew heavy, and he saw his skeletal arms rise up, brandishing a large sickle.  
At that sight, Amelda's face contracted even more with terror.  
" _No_!" The latter screamed in tears, holding out a hand to him " _Please! Raphael! Raphael, no! "  
_A strangled and throaty sound made its way from the blond's lips.  
" _Stop_!" He ordered himself, to that body that no longer belonged to him, nor did he obey him.  
The sickle fell relentlessly.  
" _Amelda! NO!"  
"Raphael! RAPHAEL! Wake up,-_

-RAPHAEL!"  
A hand rested on his shoulder, shaking him with firm kindness, and a voice at his side managed to tear him from that horrible nightmare.  
Gasping, the blond woke with a start, bringing his hands to his face and rubbing his eyes still trapped in the sequences of that nightmare.  
Hands, arms and the rest of his body were no longer the skeletal body of Dreadscythe.  
Amelda, meanwhile, looked at him worriedly, asking him what he had dreamed to make him shake so much.

"You scared me!" He scolded him, then glared at an unsuspecting Valon lying in bed in front of them "Look at that! He sleeps blissfully and with his snoring gives people nightmares!” He hissed, lifting the pillow and preparing to hurl it at the boy.  
Raphael's hand tightened around his wrist, stopping him.  
"Sorry." He gasped, "I woke you up."  
"Someone else had already thought of keeping me awake," the partner reassured him.  
Valon barked something incomprehensible in his sleep, and then turned around abruptly between the blankets.  
"Are you sure you're okay?"  
Raphael nodded. "Yeah. It’s gone. Rather, you are... "  
Trembling.  
Amelda shrugged, and the quiver seemed to fade. "It was about your family, wasn't it?"  
"Yes, the night of the shipwreck." Raphael fell silent, refusing to go beyond the memory of those black and empty eye sockets, under the canes of the two brothers “It’s just a nightmare. Tomorrow I’ll have already forget. " he minimized, sketching a smile and trying to calm his companion.

"If it’s true, I envy you," muttered Amelda "When I dream of Mirko I seem to glimpse his ghost everywhere, here, for days."  
His face was even paler than usual, tired, tense, partly illuminated by a square of artificial light coming from the outside of the large window.  
His red hair was ruffled by restless sleep, his eyelids slightly reddened against his eyes, which bore the signs of perennial physical and mental fatigue, despite the beauty of his irises was always vivid and magnetic. Framed by the oval face and defined jaw, the lips were open, they were looking for words to reassure him, but they didn't even find it to reassure himself ...  
And Raphael, to that boy, to that companion he loved so much, had never been able to give anything but fleeting glances filled with tender affection, when the darkness gave him the impression of being able to conceal at best what for each person it was normal to try and live in the sunlight.  
How many times he had found himself thinking of revealing everything to him.

How many times Raphael had found himself shamefully imagining a contact between their hands, a grip that could bring him much more comfort than words, and how many times he would have liked to run his fingers through that red hair that never went unnoticed, and talk with him of every kind of foolishness that crossed his mind...  
What would really happen to him, to them? Would Raphael's feelings vanish along with his soul, without ever having been declared openly, lived to their fullest and with the transport they deserved?  
Did Amelda really deserve to never know what Raphael felt for him? He deserved that he wasn't offered the chance to refuse or, why not, return his feelings? Was it really right to keep silence on that issue?  
"I'm sorry, Raphael."  
The voice of the partner reached his ears in a faint whisper, and yet it was enough to make him jump from his thoughts.  
"The other day..." Amelda explained "I lost my head, and I spoke to you as if I were the only one here to suffer. I always realize too late to be selfish- "  
"It is not selfish to desire peace for oneself, Amelda."  
Amelda smiled faintly as he dropped back onto the mattress, sinking part of his pale face into Raphael’s pillow, without losing sight of the blond left sitting next to him.

"The other day you said there is something you risk to lose." He reminded him "What is it?"  
"The possibility of building a future." Raphael replied, after a few moments of silence "To build something of my own, I think."  
"Something of-?"  
"In the future I would not exclude the possibility of having next to me persons with whom to share something, knowing that I can count on someone, just like that someone can count on me... "  
Amelda's gaze became attentive and penetrating, so much so that the blond was for a moment complex to support him.  
"Seriously? You mean a new life with a wife, some kids, and a dog?" Amelda sneered.  
"What?" Raphael whispered, taken aback "No ... I didn't necessarily mean this."  
"I didn't want to laugh at you." Amelda assured him, then went back to serious. "I admire you, Raphael. You always have in front of you every answer and every project to be completed. "  
“Not every answer, I am afraid.” the blond said, turning his thoughtful gaze to the window “I hope it won't be too late when I look for the answers that really matter… And what about you?"  
"Me? I dunno. As far as I'm concerned I can't look so far." The boy admitted, closing a bit his eyes. "No. I don't think I want a family of my own. I can't imagine myself at someone's side. "  
Raphael frowned, puzzled by that statement. “Why?"  
"Because if I try to imagine something in my future, I get only fear of it."  
"Fear of what?"  
"To lose again what I built. To lose someone. Again." Amelda explained to him "If I started to become attached to one or more people again, and if I lost them as it happened with my family and friends, I couldn't stand it. "  
" I understand it, given what you have faced, but do you think you can deny your love to someone, or prevent someone from considering you special?"

Amelda opened his eyes and his lips to reply, but stopped, reflecting on those words.

"There is also the possibility that I cannot find that ‘someone’ in time… What if we can't make it?" He whispered, sitting up again "And if all our efforts didn't help us make sure -?"  
"We’ll make sure that our efforts are repaid. We’ll all give ourselves to make this happen." Raphael interrupted him, looking him in the eyes and putting a hand on his shoulder "Got it? In the world that Doma will rebuild, I want to meet you again, Amelda. Or it wouldn't be the same thing. We’ll start together-"  
Amelda's eyelids widened in dismay, and his thin lips were crossed by an imperceptible shudder.  
"Raphael, you..."

The fragments of Orichalcos that they wore around their neck lit up under their eyes.  
"It burns." Amelda observed, getting up and clutching his stone between the fingers "It's about to start, isn't it?"  
Before Raphael could utter a word, a cry of pain rose from Valon's bed, making them start, and the boy, still wrapped between the sheets, rolled to the ground pressing the left middle finger that fitted the ring, trying desperately to slip it off .  
"It burns! DAMN! What the hell is going on with this ring? Is it broken?!” he swore, blowing desperately over, while the turquoise green glow faded under their eyes, making the motorcyclist sigh with relief.

When Raphael, Amelda, and Valon joined the ruler of Atlantis at the temple, they found a hooded individual with a very unfriendly air.  
"Uuuuh, Nostradamus is in town!" Valon sneered, staring at the dark robe the man wore.  
"You’ll leave immediately for Domino City." Lord Dartz informed them, dismissing the stranger "Grimo shall join you and precede you in the recovery of the Egyptian God cards; he will be the first to test the strength of the pharaoh. Once you have taken possession of the three cards, you shall hand them over to him. Pay close attention to the duel. "  
"Yes, master Dartz."  
“As for Kaiba, our hackers are already making sure that KC meet some small inconveniences in the management of the holographic system. Use the opportunity. I give you carte blanche, so don't come back without Kaiba’ soul. "  
Amelda nodded, while their mentor shifted attention to the younger of them.  
"Valon."  
"Uh?"  
"Don't be rash and stick to orders."  
Valon’s lips stretched over his Mediterranean-like face.  
"You are an excellent duelist. Don’t allow your impulsiveness to take over or your soul will pay the consequences." Lord Dartz admonished him "You all are the foundation of our project. Don't disappoint me. It all depends on you and the results of your mission. Is that clear, Raphael? "

"We shall deliver the God cards to you, master Dartz. Be sure of it."  
Leaving the sanctuary, Raphael watched Amelda proceed silently to his side.  
He had an innate elegance in his bearing that would have made anyone proud to walk beside him, and those long years spent at the service of the organization had made him a prepared duelist and a versatile partner in every task he was entrusted with.  
Valon preceded them, impatient and fearful as they were, in his gaze the desire to prove himself and to show the world who he was and how much he was worth. He was no less than anyone now.  
Years before, Raphael would never have believed he could admit it, but he could not have been more proud of his companions than that.

The doors of the building opened wide, and the three boys went out into the street, while the sun rose lazily behind them.  
The orange lights of dawn hugged them, but their bodies ignored the warmth as they rode their motorcycles to their targets.  
Together, united by adversity and diversity that initially seemed to each other only insurmountable obstacles to their partnership, the three duelists would have completed their mission to rebuild a new world.  
_  
We’ll make sure that our efforts are repaid. We’ll all give ourselves to make this happen._

**THE END.**


End file.
